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Kohli, Raina take India to series win

Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina guided India to a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI to claim the series.

India innings

43rd over: India 255 for 4 There you are. India win by six wickets with more than seven overs to spare, and take the series. Superb effort from Virat Kohli with his 13th ODI century, and another brisk unbeaten fifty from Suresh Raina. The winning runs come from Raina's bat as he launches Tillakaratne Dilshan over extra cover for four. Fantastic win for India, and a much-needed series win.

40th over: India 227 for 4 Malinga comes back to the attack and first ball, Raina just taps it gently for three runs to reach his half-century. Next ball, Kohli pulls a short one to square leg for a boundary to complete his 13th century. Fourth ball, again Malinga digs in short and Kohli skies it, but the short square leg fielder grasses it.

37th over:India 188 for 4 Lasith Malinga comes back as a final throw of the dice from Mahela Jayawardene and concedes two singles in the 36th over, the first of the batting Powerplay. In the second, Kohli reaches 80 with a single past point. Then Suresh Raina flays a boundary over backward point to enter the thirties. Last ball of the over he swings Nuwan Pradeep straight down the ground for six. This partnership is worth 77.

33rd over:India 160 for 4 What a dramatic over. Virat Kohli has added 50 again, this time with Suresh Raina who has looked fluent after that early scare. Nuwan Pradeep comes back into the attack and gives four first ball as Kohli clips a full ball off middle and off past midwicket. Next ball, there's drama. Kohli punches into the off side, starts off, sees a sharp piece of fielding and hesitates. Raina is miles down, turns around. He's gone for all money but the fielder misses the stumps. Kohli takes a single. Raina then steers a simple catch to Mahela Jayawardene at first slip which is spilled. Shocking from the Sri Lankan captain. Two chances gone in two balls. Raina just steered the ball into Jayawardene's lap. Amazing. Apart from this mad over, there has been minimal fuss from these two. They run well, call well, and don't take many risks. Ball by ball, over by over, they are chipping away at India's target. They have blunted Sri Lanka's spinners too. The run rate is healthy. Sri Lanka need wickets.

27th over:India 127 for 4 Fifty for Virat Kohli, off 65 balls. Drives a tossed up delivery out to sweeper cover and raises his bat. His great form continues. "He's kept his equilibrium," remarks Arun Lal, on air. Hmm.

25th over:India 114 for 4 Drama. Second ball of the over, there’s a massive appeal for caught behind. Rangana Herath tosses one up, it pitches and spins across Suresh Raina who pushes forward. All the Sri Lankans go up in raucous appeal, especially the wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal who collects the ball and then starts to charge down the track. That doesn't impress the umpire Kumar Dharmasena much, and he warns Chandimal. Replays don't show a definitive edge, and there was no noise. Sri Lanka were convinced though.

24th over:India 109 for 4 Manoj Tiwary plays a shot in anger and gets out, after adding 49 for the fourth wicket. He sweeps across the line to one from Jeevan Mendis and is adjudged lbw. It was a pretty straightforward decision. Mendis strikes in his first over and India have to rebuild again. Tiwary had a good day in the field with four wickets, but has only made 21 with the bat. Some will see that as progress for India, because its more 12 more than Rohit Sharma has made this series. Virat Kohli, now well set, has to bat until the end.

Manoj Tiwary lbw b Jeevan Mendis 21 (38 balls)

17th over:India 80 for 3 Two boundaries in the last three overs has perked India up, but they have been unable to cash in one the free hits bowled by Nuwan Pradeep in this over. Virat Kohli mistimed the first one for a leg bye and slogged the second up in the air and was dropped at mid-on. Didn't matter, but he should have hit a boundary to release some pressure. This stand is slowly increasing though.

13th over:India 60 for 3 Rohit Sharma can't do much with the bat these days. After scores of 5, 0 and 0 in the series he is out lbw for 4 off 14 balls. Nuwan Pradeep gets his maiden ODI wicket on debut. Full ball honing in on middle and leg, some swing and Rohit plays all over it. Loud appeal and its given, much to Rohit's dismay. He stood there in disbelief. The umpires check for the no-ball but replays show the front foot was in and so Rohit has to go. Manoj Tiwary walks in for his first knock since December and defends the last two balls of the over. The scoring has slowed since Virender Sehwag's exit, not surprisingly. The last boundary was scored off the fourth ball of the eighth over.

Rohit Sharma lbw b Nuwan Pradeep 4 (14 balls)

10th over:India 52 for 2India were rattling along thanks to Virender Sehwag, whose off-side play has been particularly impressive this evening, but now he perishes. As in the last match, it's the substitute fielder Suchitra Senanayake at short cover who holds the catch, except this one was tougher. Sehwag shapes to on-drive this ball from Angelo Mathews but gets a leading edge and Senanayake leaps overhead and plucks the catch. A good diving catch. India have lost both their openers. Rohit Sharma joins Virat Kohli and is beaten on the drive third ball. Not a confident start for the struggling batsman.

Virender Sehwag c Suchitra Senanayake b Angelo Mathews 34 (29 balls)

5th over:India 27 for 1 Virender Sehwag is leading India's chase. He's sped to 15 of 14 balls with three fours, while Virat Kohli has hooked Lasith Malinga for four.

1st over:India 0 for 1 Lasith Malinga strikes in the first over. Just a bit of late swing on a trademark yorker from the curly-haired slinger and it does for Gautam Gambhir, bowled without a run on the board. Wasn’t an express delivery but it was bang on the base of middle stump and went under the bat. Gambhir bowled for 0 off the fifth ball.

Gautam Gambhir b Lasith Malinga 0 (5 balls)

Sri Lanka innings

50th over:Sri Lanka 251 for 8 So Sri Lanka end on 251. An expensive last over as Rangana Herath and Lasith Malinga swing their bats and get some handy runs in the final over, bowled by India's best bowler of the day Manoj Tiwary. The last six balls went for 18; the last three for 32. Only the top order scored runs, and then Malinga and Herath injected some urgency at the end. Tiwary the surprise package with 4 for 61. His last two overs cost 25. India will back themselves to chase this. See you in about 40 minutes for their reply.

47th over:Sri Lanka 219 for 8 R Ashwin also joins the fun, bowling Lahiru Thirimanne for 47. The batsman skips out and misses the ball completely. Sri Lanka are been very poor today.

Lahiru Thirimanne b R Ashwin 47 (69 balls)

46th over:Sri Lanka 218 for 7 Manoj Tiwary, what can you say? He's got four wickets! Jeevan Mendis is bowled around the legs trying some sort of reverse sweep. Misses it all ends up and Tiwary twirls the finger. Before the over is complete, Tiwary gets another wicket. Now its Thisara Perera, having a big swipe at another legbreak and picking out Suresh Raina in the deep. Career-best bowling figures for him in limited-overs cricket, domestic included. So, the move to include Tiwary for Rahul Sharma has worked wonderfully. Four overs to go and Sri Lanka have to step on it.

Jeevan Mendis b Manoj Tiwary 17 (16 balls)

Thisara Perera c Suresh Raina b Manoj Tiwary 2 (3 balls)

42nd over:Sri Lanka 192 for 5 Manoj Tiwary gets another wicket and India's part-timers continue to keep a lid on the scoring while plucking wickets. This pair has struggled to force the pace and the pressure has told. It's Angelo Mathews who goes first ball of the 42nd over, jumping out to a legbreak that he chips out to Virat Kohli at long-off. End of a sluggish innings and Sri Lanka are six down. Tiwary is having a good day so far, and to think his primary job is to bat.

Angelo Mathew c Virat Kohli b Manoj Tiwary 14 (34 balls)

38th over:Sri Lanka 178 for 4 This pair has added 23. Angelo Mathews has looked strong on the cut shot, particularly. Virender Sehwag and Manoj Tiwary continue to do well, not allowing many runs. Tiwary bowls a maiden over.

33rd over:Sri Lanka 156 for 4 Double-strike for India in no time. Minutes after Manoj Tiwary's success, its Virender Sehwag who gets the big wicket of the Sri Lankan captain for just 3. The part-time bowlers are doing the trick for India. Jayawardene plays a needless shot, getting across to paddle the ball but instead seeing it lob up towards MS Dhoni who takes a simple catch. The umpire raises his finger and Sri Lanka are 155 for 4. Just one run from the over.

Mahela Jayawardene c MS Dhoni b Virender Sehwag 3 (3 balls)

32nd over:Sri Lanka 155 for 3 Would you believe it? The seventh bowler used by India has produced the wicket, breaking a stand of 50. Its Manoj Tiwary, drafted into the side as a batsman in place of a specialist spinner, who strikes with his part-time legspin. Dinesh Chandimal, who batted so well for 28, picks a short ball and pulls it to Irfan Pathan at square leg. Tiwary is overjoyed, and why not? He’s got his second ODI wicket.

Dinesh Chandimal c Irfan Pathan b Manoj Tiwary 28 (32 balls)

30th over:Sri Lanka 142 for 2 A steady stand here between Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimmane. They’ve added 40. India running out of bowling options. Chandimal has been the more fluent of the two.

25th over:Sri Lanka 121 for 2 At the half-way mark, Sri Lanka are decently placed. Mahela Jayawardene seems to have held himself back, instead sending Lahiru Thirimmane in at No. 4. MS Dhoni keeps shuffling his bowlers. After a spell of 6-0-28-1, Ashok Dinda makes way for Irfan Pathan who concedes a welcome boundary to Dinesh Chandimal down the leg side. Thirimmane and Chandimal have been busy, constantly on the lookout for singles and doubles. This isn't a surface where you can just blast the ball. It's a bit sluggish with the ball stopping on the bat frequently. Considering India are a bowler short, you'd figure Sri Lanka could step on the gas after a few more overs. The bowling Powerplay is also over.

22nd over:Sri Lanka 102 for 2 India make further inroads. Not long after his opening partner exits, Upul Tharanga throws away a start by dancing out to R Ashwin's offspin and being stumped. He didn't pick that ball. Easy work for Dhoni. Tharanga had just reached his half-century off 71 balls, in the process bringing up Sri Lanka's 100. From 91 for 0, Sri Lanka are 102 for 2. Sri Lanka scored just 35 runs from the batting Powerplay.

Upul Tharanga st MS Dhoni b R Ashwin 51 (73 balls)

19th over:Sri Lanka 91 for 1 Ashok Dinda makes the breakthrough in the penultimate over of the batting Powerplay. It’s Tillakaratne Dilshan who goes for 42, looking to hammer a short ball but instead getting a top edge that MS Dhoni holds on to. India strike after a while.

Tillakaratne Dilshan c MS Dhoni b Ashok Dinda 42 (48 balls)

15th over:Sri Lanka 64 for 0 India have used five bowlers so far, without luck: Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Ashok Dinda, Virat Kohli and Virender Sehwag. Tillakaratne Dilshan has reached 30 off 36 balls and Upul Tharanga is somehow on 29 off 54. He's even hit a six, though it was a top edge. India's decision to drop a bowler for a batsman may hurt them.

10th over:Sri Lanka 45 for 0 Well, a platform has been laid, though it hasn't been convincing. Nothing too aggressive from the Sri Lankan openers – just seven boundaries in ten overs – but they've seen off India’s new-ball pair. Tillakaratne Dilshan has been the dominant partner in this opening stand, hitting six of those boundaries. He’s had a couple fortuitous moments, including an inside-edged boundary off a swinging Zaheer Khan yorker in the seventh over. Of Dilshan's 25 runs, 24 came in boundaries so that tells you how many dot balls there have been. Upul Tharanga has been beaten outside off stump several times but he's held on to bat out ten overs. 16 off 31 deliveries. After eight overs he was nine off 26.

6th over:Sri Lanka 27 for 0 Zaheer Khan continues to probe at Upul Tharanga’s off stump. Some good balls that shaped away, one that was too wide. Good line and length. Beaten the bat several times. In six overs, Tharanga has faced 11 balls from Zaheer for two runs. Irfan Pathan also had a close shout for lbw, but there was a thin inside edge.

Nothing really dominating from the Sri Lankan openers. Tillakaratne Dilshan has looked to get onto the front foot and thump the ball. But he’s not had much of the strike. Thrashes the last ball of the sixth over past extra cover for four.

3rd over:Sri Lanka 16 for 0 A steady start, if unspectacular. The first over went for six, with Tillakaratne Dilshan driving Zaheer Khan through extra cover for four. The second cost five as Irfan Pathan struggled to adjust his radar. The third was tighter with Zaheer bowling testing lines to Upul Tharanga. Probing about a foot and a half outside off stump, mostly, with one ball jagging back sharply. Zaheer has dismissed Tharanga eight times in ODIs, the most any bowler has had the left-hand batsman’s number. The last ball was a streaky four past short third man that Dilshan wasn’t in control of. Very good over from Zaheer.

2.25pm Five minutes to go. Looks a good batting deck as always at the Premadasa. Its hot out there, with the sun baking down.

2.10pm Mahela Jayawardene has won the toss and Sri Lanka will bat in an attempt to level the series. Remember, Sri Lanka are without Kumar Sangakkara, their second-highest run-scorer ever in ODIs after Sanath Jayasuriya. A huge loss for them. Lahiru Thirimmane gets a game in place of Sangakkara and Nuwan Pradeep comes in for left-arm seamer Isuru Udana.

"Every game is going to throw you a challenge and you want to get on top of that challenge. That's what drives me and the team," says Jayawardene.

The big news for India is that Manoj Tiwary gets his first match since the second week of December, but he hasn't been brought in for Rohit Sharma. Oddly, India have dropped a bowler to accommodate Tiwary. Rahul Sharma gets the axe. Very odd. So, Rohit gets another game despite flopping majorly in 2012. Will he do something today? Time will tell.